The nature of work in Ontario is changing rapidly and to help build the resilience of individuals and businesses, as they prepare for the future of work, the next provincial government needs to strengthen the design and delivery of skills development in Ontario. Ontario’s skills development ecosystem needs to deliver Ontario needs a robust and … Continue reading
On June 8, 2022, Brookings Metro Fellow Annelies Goger testified to the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, during a hearing titled The Small Business Workforce Challenge: Causes, Impacts and Solutions. Goger started her testimony with a personal story about her father’s small business challenges. She then explained a “perfect storm” of factors … Continue reading
The arrival of large numbers of Central Americans at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years and the complex motivations driving them to leave their countries has once more demonstrated the need for comprehensive strategies to manage migration through the region. The lion’s share of these migrants come from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and poverty, … Continue reading
[Steven Tobin] – In my various discussions over the past few weeks at Parliamentary Committees, with CEOs, policymakers, labour representatives and others, it’s clear that efforts to address the prevailing labour market challenges in Canada are fragmented. This is dampening our ability to achieve other goals such as competitiveness and inclusion. There is also a … Continue reading
This manifesto is industrial workers’ call to policymakers to ensure a Just Transition. A transition to a green economy that is fair for ALL workers, a transition that does not destroy but preserves and creates good quality jobs. A transition that is anticipated, managed and negotiated with workers for every aspect that concerns them. … Continue reading
This paper updates the long-term scenarios to 2060 last published in July 2018, with a special focus on fiscal sustainability and risks. In a baseline economic and fiscal scenario, trend real GDP growth for the OECD + G20 area declines from around 3% post-COVID to 1½ per cent in 2060, mainly due to a deceleration … Continue reading
According to the report, Canadian adults use career guidance services at only half the rate (19%) of adults in other OECD countries (39%). How is it that the most educated workforce in the world can be so far behind in career ownership and navigation skills—especially in an era when jobs are changing all the time? The truth … Continue reading
Can the shortages of workers reported by the UK’s food and drink sector be solved by making it easier to hire migrants? How will wages in these sectors change? And is there a conflict between short- and long-term fixes? Alan Manning sets out the trade-offs involved in answering these questions. There are pros and cons … Continue reading
How well the economy is progressing toward the Federal Reserve’s goal of maximum employment is reflected in a range of indicators that evolve over time. Beyond the unemployment rate, two key metrics of labor market health are the labor force participation rate and the employment-to-population ratio. The aging of the population is reducing the levels … Continue reading
Individual learning accounts can make the right to training tangible for all but EU member states will need to raise their commitment. the commission proposes that member states set up personal accounts, with adequate training entitlements, for all adults of working age. Account owners could receive additional entitlements from their employer or other funders and … Continue reading
There is no easy solution to the challenge of including gig workers or self-employed workers in Canada’s Employment Insurance (EI) system, according to a new report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Should ‘gig’ Workers be Covered by the EI regime? The Challenges and Pitfalls,” author David Gray casts an evaluative lens on the … Continue reading
In the 30 years after World War II there was a remarkable growth in the Canadian standard of living. Average real weekly earnings grew at a rate that more than doubled every 28 years. The typical family not only experienced a steady material improvement, but parents could expect that their children would have double their … Continue reading
We suggest six principles to guide the design of new laws for this purpose, or indeed the framing of new international standards. 1. Certain types of internship, however they are labelled by the parties, should attract the same entitlements and protections as an ‘ordinary’ employment relationship. 2. Even if a particular type of internship should … Continue reading
Apprenticeships are more important than ever in equipping individuals and businesses with the skills they need as we build back better from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The UK government wants to make sure apprenticeships reflect modern models of employment for all employers in all sectors. In sectors such as the creative industries, construction and digital, … Continue reading
Saturday marks 12 years since the last federal minimum wage increase on July 24, 2009, the longest period in U.S. history without an increase. In the meantime, rising costs of living have diminished the purchasing power of a minimum wage paycheck. A worker paid the federal minimum of $7.25 today effectively earns 21% less than … Continue reading